Latest news with #KellyHolmes
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Georgia Hunter Bell wins 800m Diamond League meeting and reveals she will seek advice of Dame Kelly Holmes ahead of Tokyo World Championships
Georgia Hunter Bell emerged from the shadows of training partner Keely Hodgkinson to give the London Stadium something to shout about on a day of shocks with both Noah Lyles and Britain's reigning world champion Josh Kerr beaten. On the day that Britain launched its bid to host the 2029 world championships, 31-year-old Hunter Bell provided an extra feelgood factor for a capacity 60,000 crowd attending the Diamond League meeting. Despite being a bronze medallist in last year's Olympics 1500metres, Hunter Bell remains relatively unsung compared to middle-distance queen Hodgkinson, the reigning BBC Sports Personality of the Year. But with her friend injured, Hunter Bell took full advantage to power away from a strong 800metres field to win in a season's best 1m56.74s with home athletes Jemma Reekie and Laura Muir down the field. Hunter Bell could now double up in the 800 and 1500 at September's world championship in Tokyo but will first ask the advice of Dame Kelly Holmes – who won Olympic gold in both. 'Technically it is an option because the schedule is generous for it,' she said. 'I might reach out to Kelly and see what she thinks. I don't know. It is hard but one event completes before the second one starts. On the GB bid, she added: 'You feel so supported in this stadium. It was so noisy for us British girls in the race, it was incredible. Having the worlds here would be incredible.' And though Hodgkinson's hamstring issues have prevented her from racing since the Olympics, Hunter Bell expects her rival to be on the start line in Tokyo. 'She's good. She's working her way back,' confirmed Hunter Bell. 'No-one wants to be racing more than Keely. She'll be back soon. We train with each other and make each other quicker.' Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Kerr in the 1500metres as he was outpaced by teenage Kenyan sensation Phanuel Koech and finished second. Fourth-place Jake Wightman doesn't think Koech's eye-catching time of 3m28.82s should make him favourite for the worlds. 'The Diamond League are pace races. It is different in championships when there is no one to dictate pace and you need to be astute,' he said. An even bigger upset came in the men's 100m when the supposed fastest man on the planet, Olympic 100m champion Lyles, looked sluggish next to Jamaican rival Oblique Seville who clocked 9.86s. On the GB bid, she added: 'You feel so supported in this stadium. It was so noisy for us British girls in the race, it was incredible.' In mitigation, it was Lyles' first race at the distance since Paris and he insisted afterwards: 'There is no need to panic.' Charlie Dobson was a British winner in the 400metres ahead of compatriot Matt Hudson-Smith but there was disappointment for other home favourites Dina Asher-Smith, Katerina Johnson-Thompson and Molly Caudery in their individual events. Earlier in the day, Athletics Ventures had announced a GB bid for the 2029 world championships and world Paralympics, backed by Prime Minister Keir Stramer who said: 'Bringing them here would be a moment of great national pride and provide a boost for businesses and jobs.' However, the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, warned there will be stiff competition from other major cities in different continents. He said: 'London has some very clear and obvious assets. We are an athletics-loving nation and people turn up. But it will be competitive. There are a lot of good cities out there,' he said. 'I'm not going to give a list of runners and riders but there are cities who have already expressed an interest and are engaging with us.' There was no louder cheer in the old Olympic Stadium yesterday than the British 4x400metre relay squad receiving their rightful gold medal from the 1997 world championships – 28 years late. Originally finishing second to USA, they were upgraded to first in 2008 when it was discovered Antonio Pettigrew in the American team was a drugs cheat. It's taken all this time since for Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hilton to all be available at the same British meet to receive their gongs. The moment had extra poignancy for Thomas, who has given his medal to six-year-old son Teddy, who spent 10 days in intensive care as a baby after catching Group B Strep (GBS) that causes breathing difficulties. The ceremony also had a tinge of sadness as Pettigrew committed suicide in 2010, aged 42. 'I'd rather him have the gold medal than taking his life,' said Baulch.
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Georgia Hunter Bell may turn to Kelly Holmes for World Championships advice
Georgia Hunter Bell will consult with Kelly Holmes before deciding whether to attempt to double up in the 800 and 1500 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. The British athlete registered a second Diamond League win at the shorter distance at the Novuna London Athletics Meet, running a season's best of one minute 56.74 seconds after outsprinting her rivals up the straight. Holmes famously won both events at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Hunter Bell, who took bronze in the 1500m in Paris last summer, could be tempted to tackle both distances – pending consultation with the athletics great. Georgia Hunter Bell is a #LondonDL winner 🎆 She absolutely motors through the final 200m to take the 800m win 🔥 #DiamondLeague @_Novuna — British Athletics (@BritAthletics) July 19, 2025 Hunter Bell said: 'I think in May, Trevor (Painter) and Jen (Meadows, coaches) just noticed that I was responding a lot better to the 800m training, so it's something that we're paying attention to. 'You've obviously got to just look strategically at the events. The 1500 has got even faster than last year – I didn't think that was possible – but it has again, whereas the 800 at the moment is not as fast as it was last year. If you're trying to get a medal, what is actually the best thing to do? 'It is technically an option because the schedule is actually quite generous for it. There's proper days off, one event completes before the second starts, it's not like switching in between the two. But I just think it's been really hard and you might stuff your chances at both. 'I might reach out to Kelly Holmes and see what she thinks because a lot of people can have their opinion, there's very few that have actually done it and done well in both and I'd like to see what she has to say about it. 'I think I can decide after the champs (next month's UK Athletics Championships). But I would need to do the 800 metres at the British champs to earn my spot.' Reigning 1500m world champion Josh Kerr vowed the title will stay in Britain despite suffering defeat at the hands of Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, clocking a season's best of three mins 29.37 secs but ultimately falling short. He said: 'In general I really liked how I felt in the whole race. I felt like I made a solid move at 250, I just did not have my head on straight with 200 to go, and I let them go a little bit. 'The power was not quite there but it is not far away. But we have not ran a race like that for a while. To be running 3.29 at this point of the season is encouraging. 'I can make a big jump in the next couple of months, we've not got a bunch of time but we're in a solid spot. The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year.' Kerr confirmed he will race the 5000m at the national championships as he is already qualified for the 1500m in Tokyo. Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hylton were presented with their upgraded gold medals for the 4x400m relay at the Athens World Championships in 1997 in front of the London Stadium crowd. The title was originally won by the USA, who were disqualified following an anti-doping violation by Antonio Pettigrew. Morgan Lake in the women's high jump and Charlie Dobson in the men's 400m were other home winners in Diamond League events, while Ben Sandilands triumphed in the men's 1500m para final. The women's 100m para contest went to Sophie Hahn and the men's equivalent saw Zak Skinner shade Thomas Young in a photo finish.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Georgia Hunter Bell may turn to Kelly Holmes for World Championships advice
Georgia Hunter Bell will consult with Kelly Holmes before deciding whether to attempt to double up in the 800 and 1500 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. The British athlete registered a second Diamond League win at the shorter distance at the Novuna London Athletics Meet, running a season's best of one minute 56.74 seconds after outsprinting her rivals up the straight. Holmes famously won both events at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and Hunter Bell, who took bronze in the 1500m in Paris last summer, could be tempted to tackle both distances – pending consultation with the athletics great. Hunter Bell said: 'I think in May, Trevor (Painter) and Jen (Meadows, coaches) just noticed that I was responding a lot better to the 800m training, so it's something that we're paying attention to. 'You've obviously got to just look strategically at the events. The 1500 has got even faster than last year – I didn't think that was possible – but it has again, whereas the 800 at the moment is not as fast as it was last year. If you're trying to get a medal, what is actually the best thing to do? 'It is technically an option because the schedule is actually quite generous for it. There's proper days off, one event completes before the second starts, it's not like switching in between the two. But I just think it's been really hard and you might stuff your chances at both. 'I might reach out to Kelly Holmes and see what she thinks because a lot of people can have their opinion, there's very few that have actually done it and done well in both and I'd like to see what she has to say about it. 'I think I can decide after the champs (next month's UK Athletics Championships). But I would need to do the 800 metres at the British champs to earn my spot.' Reigning 1500m world champion Josh Kerr vowed the title will stay in Britain despite suffering defeat at the hands of Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech, clocking a season's best of three mins 29.37 secs but ultimately falling short. He said: 'In general I really liked how I felt in the whole race. I felt like I made a solid move at 250, I just did not have my head on straight with 200 to go, and I let them go a little bit. 'The power was not quite there but it is not far away. But we have not ran a race like that for a while. To be running 3.29 at this point of the season is encouraging. 'I can make a big jump in the next couple of months, we've not got a bunch of time but we're in a solid spot. The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year.' Kerr confirmed he will race the 5000m at the national championships as he is already qualified for the 1500m in Tokyo. Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and Mark Hylton were presented with their upgraded gold medals for the 4x400m relay at the Athens World Championships in 1997 in front of the London Stadium crowd. The title was originally won by the USA, who were disqualified following an anti-doping violation by Antonio Pettigrew. Morgan Lake in the women's high jump and Charlie Dobson in the men's 400m were other home winners in Diamond League events, while Ben Sandilands triumphed in the men's 1500m para final. The women's 100m para contest went to Sophie Hahn and the men's equivalent saw Zak Skinner shade Thomas Young in a photo finish.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Hunter Bell contends with double trouble after winning London Diamond League 800m
What does a hitherto 1500m specialist do when they cannot stop winning over 800m? Call the expert, of course. Back when she concluded a remarkable first full season as a runner with Olympic 1500m bronze in Paris last summer, Georgia Hunter Bell's path appeared to be set. Why change a successful formula? But change she has, and victory over 800m in London on Saturday provided a second win in her past two Diamond League races over the distance, having won in Stockholm last month. This is where the problem has arisen for September's world championships in Tokyo. Should she stick with the event in which she won her Olympic medal, should she target the shorter race over two laps, or should she attempt an audacious double that has increasingly fallen out of fashion over recent years? Helpfully, she has the perfect sounding board in her contacts book: 'I might actually reach out to Kelly Holmes and see what she thinks.' Holmes, who memorably won Olympic 800m and 1500m gold in 2004, initially contacted Hunter Bell after the Paris Games last summer. The relationship has since developed into something akin to a mentor and a mentee. So, after triumphing over a strong field at the London Stadium in 1min 56.74sec – the second-fastest time of her life – Hunter Bell is keen to hear what Holmes thinks of it all. 'Doing the double [at the world championships] is an option because the schedule's actually quite generous for it,' she said. 'There's proper days off; one event completes before the second starts. But I just think it's really hard and you might stuff your chances at both. So I don't know. A lot of people can have their opinion but there's very few that have actually done it. I'd like to see what Kelly has to say about it.' There is an additional factor. Shorn of her training partner, and Olympic champion, Keely Hodgkinson – who is expected to return from a hamstring injury in the coming weeks – 800m times have somewhat stagnated. By contrast, increasing numbers of 1500m women continue to break new ground. 'You've got to look strategically at the events,' said Hunter Bell. 'The 1500m has got even faster than last year. I didn't think that was possible, but it has again. Whereas the 800m, at the moment, is not as fast as it was last year. So if you're trying to get a medal, what is actually the best thing to do?' Elsewhere, the anticipated battle of the British runners failed to materialise in the men's 1500m as the young Kenyan upstart Phanuel Koech upset the 60,000-strong sellout crowd by outkicking reigning world champion Josh Kerr in the home straight to claim victory. Koech, 18, had never run a 1500m race before last month, but now owns three of the six fastest times in the world this year after triumphing in a meeting record of 3:28.82. Despite tracking him for most of the race, Kerr was unable to keep pace in the home straight, finishing second in 3:29.37. Former world champion Jake Wightman came fourth, while George Mills fell with 200m remaining. Ever bullish, Kerr remains confident that the world title he claimed from Wightman will remain in Britain. 'Yeah, 100%,' he said. 'The title lives here and it will continue to live here for the next year.' Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Of his own run, he added: 'Good, not great. In general, I really liked how I felt throughout the whole race. I was waiting until about 120 to go, but that power wasn't quite there. We're getting there. I know I can make a big jump in the next couple of months.' Charlie Dobson took the scalp of British compatriot and Olympic silver medallist Matt Hudson-Smith to win the 400m in a personal best 44.14, becoming the second-fastest European of all time in the process, while Morgan Lake won the high jump in a season's-best 1.96m. Saint Lucia's Julien Alfred ran a world-leading 21.71 to beat Dina Asher-Smith in the 200m, and America's Olympic champion, Noah Lyles, finished second over 100m behind Oblique Seville of Jamaica, who was well clear in 9.86. Before the action began, the British men's 4x400m team of Roger Black, Iwan Thomas, Jamie Baulch, Mark Richardson and heat-runner Mark Hylton received an extraordinarily belated gold-medal upgrade 28 years after the 1997 world championships. Britain initially finished second, only for the American winners to later be stripped of their title after Antonio Pettigrew, who died in 2010, confessed in 2008 to doping between 1997 and 2003. 'On the one hand it's a real shame it's taken this long,' said Thomas. 'But on a personal level, it's really beautiful today. My son is here today. I didn't have any children back then. It felt really special.'
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wimbledon recap: Pride in London brings few rainbows to All England Club
Welcome to the Wimbledon briefing, where will explain the stories behind the stories on each day of the tournament. On day six, it was Pride Day in London, a tennis star's patience was rewarded, and the Americans made the most of July 4th weekend. Advertisement Pride Day at Wimbledon, with few rainbows More than 30,000 people took part in London's annual Pride parade Saturday afternoon in the city center. Thousands more lined the streets in celebration of the capital's biggest LGBTQ+ event. The scene at Wimbledon, which takes in views of central London from the top of 'Henman Hill,' was a little different. There is no organized Pride celebration at the All England Club, as a spokesperson confirmed in a statement sent to The Athletic. It was instead 'Sporting Saturday' — an annual celebration of sports people on the middle Saturday of the month. The Royal Box had LGBTQ+ sportspeople like Billie Jean King and Dame Kelly Holmes as guests, but there were no Pride flags, and people had to look hard to find any rainbows. Advertisement The Australian Open has hosted five Pride Days; the U.S. Open will host its fifth this year, and the French Open has held two, making Wimbledon the only major to have not yet formally dedicated a tournament day to Pride celebrations. On No. 3 Court, Daria Kasatkina, the No. 16 seed, who came out publicly as gay in 2022, was wearing a bracelet with rainbows on it during her 6-2, 6-3 defeat to No. 19 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the third round. Kasatkina defected to Australia from Russia earlier this year and has spoken out against her former homeland and anti-LGBTQ+ politics in the past. 'I know that, for example, in Australia, they're very active in this case. They are very vocal and supportive,' the 28-year-old, who announced her engagement to figure skater girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako last month, told The Athletic. 'I think that Wimbledon is, in general, a little bit different,' Kasatkina added. Advertisement 'The colors they use, it's white, green, and purple, and that's pretty much it. But I must say that around the city of London, I can feel the support, and I like how this city… I mean, we see the rainbow flags everywhere. So that's nice. We have to accept that Wimbledon is different. They've got their traditions and they follow them. And I don't think there is any sign of disrespect. 'We just got the approval for black shorts (in 2023 to take the stress off women and girls during their periods). It's not much of a place for this kind of thing. They're just very traditional, and we have to accept that, but overall, walking around London, I can feel a lot of the support from everywhere, so that's the most important. 'I don't feel that they [the AELTC] don't want to support. It's just this place, it's only about tennis and strawberries.' In 2019, there was a Pride panel at the All England Club, with King speaking to young people about her experience of coming out. It was hosted by tennis reporter Nick McCarvel and was one of the first Pride events on site. Advertisement 'That was an important first step for Wimbledon,' McCarvel said in an interview. 'Pride's evolving, and the tennis space is a space that maybe could be catching up a little quicker. But I think we also look at the women who have led the way in tennis. Billie Jean is certainly one of them. Daria Kasatkina continues to be one of them.' Within the men's game, it is different. In December last year, Joao Lucas Reis da Silva became the first active male professional tennis player to come out as gay when he posted a selfie on Instagram with his partner. Bill Tilden, the American star who dominated tennis in the 1920s, never publicly discussed his sexuality outside of his 1948 book, 'My Story: A Champion's Memoirs.' Brian Vahaly, who played in the 2000s and reached a career-high of world No. 57, and Bobby Blair, on tour in the 1980s, came out after they had retired from professional tennis. 'Sports haven't traditionally been a place where people have felt like they can be their full queer selves,' McCarvel said. 'I think of central London and the scenes in Soho and the Pride flags and the fact that it's not reflected today visually here at Wimbledon.' Advertisement Lesbian couple Jo Smith and Amelia Pamplin, two tennis fans from Brighton, said it feels like a safe and accepting place here, even without a day to recognise and celebrate the importance of Pride. 'It doesn't feel like there's been any animosity at all at any point,' Pamplin said. 'We've been sitting on the hill, and that was fine. I gave her a kiss. Everything was fine and normal.' 'When I think about it, and that it's London Pride, then I suppose it would be nice to have something like that around here,' Smith said. Belinda Bencic's patience continues to be rewarded Coming back to tennis after giving birth is one of the toughest things to do in sport, but Belinda Bencic continues to thrive back on the WTA Tour. Advertisement She is through to the Wimbledon fourth round after a tight three-set win over Jessica Pegula's conqueror, Elisabetta Cocciaretto. It continues a great season for Bencic, on top of winning the Abu Dhabi Open title and reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, too. When the rankings next update, she'll be back in the world's top 30 at a minimum; she could go even higher if she can beat No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday to reach the quarterfinals. Bencic returned to tennis in October, ranked No. 1213, having given birth to her daughter, Bella, six months earlier. She did so at an ITF W75 event in Hamburg, Germany, on the lowest rung of professional tennis. She played a couple more such events before the year was out, reaching the final in Angers, France. 'I'm really confident about getting back to where I was and even better,' she said during a video interview in December after playing those events. Bencic has made good on that self-belief, reaching the fourth round at two majors and then winning a 500-level title. She missed the French Open with injury, but she attributes her success at the sport's premier events this year to the hard yards she put in at the back end of 2024. Advertisement 'This is the way I like to go because I feel like I have to build up,' she said in a news conference Saturday. 'I cannot just go straight into it. I gain more confidence with playing more matches. 'I don't see the point of coming back and losing your first three rounds, and then you're not able to get match play. [It's important] to have that match play and then feel more confident, going step by step up to the level that you've been. This is the way for me, and I don't care if people are surprised or not. This is just our plan.' She insisted that managing this kind of comeback is very personal, but insofar as making one of the hardest things in tennis look miraculously straightforward, Bencic's lower-tier tournament strategy may be a replicable one. Stripes more than stars for U.S. players? Perhaps it's fitting that America found some success on July 4th weekend. Advertisement As Grand Slams go, this Wimbledon hasn't been great for those representing the stars and stripes. Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the No. 2 and 3 women's seeds, left in the first round. Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe were out in the second. Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins and Brandon Nakashima lost in the third. Saturday, Nakashima, the No. 29 seed, won the first set and held leads in the second and third against Italy's Lorenzo Sonego, but ultimately lost a five-hour match in a tiebreak. Iga Świątek dispatched Collins in a ruthlessly patient 6-2, 6-3 win. Just two of the eight American women who were seeded remain. Six American men were seeded, and two of them have made it too. Navarro came back from a set down to beat Krejčíková, the defending champion. Amanda Anisimova is by far the highest seed in her quarter and has the most fearsome backhand on the planet. Advertisement Taylor Fritz has shown why he is top five in the world: He is a competitor. That's how, two points away from defeat in the first round, he made it through against the biggest server in the game, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Ben Shelton is still figuring out consistency from week to week, but give him the bright lights of a Grand Slam, and he shows up. He will face Sonego in the last 16. He came back from 2-1 down in sets against the Italian at the French Open in May. Fritz faces Jordan Thompson, a dangerous Australian who has somehow won three matches with a balky back. Anisimova might have her hands full with Linda Nosková, another big hitter in a match that could turn on who handles their nerves better. Advertisement Navarro is the only one of the four who won't be the favorite in her fourth-round match against Mirra Andreeva, the world No. 7. 'I'm super pumped to be where I'm at,' she said after beating Krejčíková. These are the days and the moments that you have to appreciate and enjoy because they are fleeting. It's not going to be like this forever.' Other notable results on day six Jannik Sinner (1) continued his breeze through the opening rounds. He has lost 17 games in his first three matches, breaking Roger Federer's Wimbledon record of 19. Today, he beat Pedro Martinez 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. Mirra Andreeva (7) took out Hailey Baptiste of the U.S. 6-1, 6-3 to reach the second week for the second time. Advertisement Ben Shelton (10) eased past Márton Fucsovics 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 Shot of the day Novak Djokovic has been looking ominous as he eases into this tournament. But what about spectacular and ominous? Day seven matches you should actually watch 🎾 Men's singles, 12 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ Andrey Rublev (14) vs. Carlos Alcaraz (2) Alcaraz has mostly survived, rather than thrived at Wimbledon 2025. For Andrey Rublev, his second-week run is redemptive, after a first-round meltdown here last year that took him to a dark place. 🎾 Women's singles, 11 a.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+ Women's singles: Linda Nosková (30) vs. Amanda Anisimova (13) Two of the purest ball-strikers on the WTA Tour face each other on a fast court. This should, simply put, be cinema. Advertisement Wimbledon men's draw 2025 Wimbledon women's draw 2025 Tell us what you noticed on the sixth day… This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Culture, Tennis, Women's Tennis 2025 The Athletic Media Company
